Hidden Treasure
by Daelyan Sandheaver
Summary: Her numb fingers held fast to the piece of wood from the sunken ship. Currently it was the only thing she could see, that and wave upon black wave of water. It was tempting to succumb to the deep sleep that washed over her....


I really wish I owned POTC, but I don't, therefore I don't get any money from it, or this.

****

****

**Hidden Treasure.**

****

**Chapter 1**

****

**The Rescue**

Her numb fingers held fast to the piece of wood from the sunken ship. Currently it was the only thing she could see, that and wave upon black wave of water. It was tempting to succumb to the deep sleep that washed over her, the one she knew she would not wake up from. She knew she had to get out of the water soon, and that knowledge filled her with fear, in a little while hypothermia would set in. It was beginning to look… No it was hopeless. Her situation was a no win one. She had tried calling out in despair wishing for another shout in the engulfing darkness of the midnight sky, it seemed for hours, but not one whisper was heard, just the constant slap of the waves against her icy body. In stubbornness she jutted her almost frozen jaw, wincing in pain as pins and needles dashed through her face. Not for her the grave within the deep dark sea. Not for her…. Whispering to herself, as anything louder would distress her already hoarse throat, she did something she had not done for some time. 

"God, if there is such a thing, please let me survive this situation. Please." And making promises of goodness and loyalty in her heart, her eyes drifted from awake to slumberous, as she drifted towards the sleep no one ever returns from.

Rough hands jolted against her skin, and hauled her from her deathbed. They harshly dumped her upon the deck as if she were the catch of the day, ready to be sorted through. In her hallucinogenic state, she heard men talking about her, as if they were far far away.

"Well, I wonder where she came from?" One voice asked gruffly. "No ships around here to be seen."

"Well, it's a bit of a mystery, ain't it?" Another younger voice, but still male answered.

She heard a scuffle of shoes and the voice of a young woman, an obviously annoyed one at that. "Are you just going to let her lie there and die?" Murmured voices of dissent followed, and she felt her body being lifted in the air. "Put the girl in my chamber, I'll deal with her."

She felt her head loll to one side as they carried her away, and out of the corner of her eye saw the woman smile at her comfortingly. Muttering something incoherently, she smiled, and passed out cold in the firm arms.

~~~~

"I don't see what the big problem is." The woman said stubbornly to the two men in front of her. "So she stays on board. Does a few chores, and we put her ashore as soon as we reach a suitable port. One that does not have your face plastered on every plank." She said wryly to the man stood by the window, and smiled at the seated man, sitting down beside him and putting her hand in his.

Captain Jack Sparrow turned away from the window slightly and looked at his newfound friends subtly. Elisabeth and Will Turner, they had no idea how lucky they were. They were sat on chairs next to each other in the captain's room. She had long light brown hair, which curled in soft ringlets going midway down her back and a face fit for an angel, not quite suiting her temperament at all. She wore a plain white shirt, and a pair of leather trousers, which didn't quite befit the lady she was, but suited the pirate in her well. She looked lovingly into her husband's eyes, and he looked devotedly back. His unruly shoulder length hair was tied back into a ponytail, and his skin, which had become accustomed to the sea air and hard work, was now tanned brown. A tan shirt, and trousers covered his body, which had worked on board the Black Pearl for a while now. Their marriage had caused uproar, Ladies of high standing in society should not marry mere blacksmith apprentices. Many rumours had gone around about Mr and Mrs Turner, and many of them were scandalous, hurtful and untrue. Jack smiled wryly; his reputation had suffered as well, for many of the stories implied Elisabeth's loss of virtue aboard the Back Pearl, and the quick marriage had only fuelled these.

Only the crew of the Pearl knew exactly what happened, and it would stay that way. The ramblings of the long dead followers of Barbarossa dismissed as insanity and the location of the cursed treasure remaining a secret. 

Jack rubbed his chin and pursed his lips thoughtfully. "The problem, _love_…" He emphasised the love knowing how much it annoyed Elisabeth to hear it and was rewarded with a wince. "… is that we have almost worked out the map, and are on our way to find the treasure. A _suitable port_ is difficult to find."

Elisabeth shot him a dirty look. "That's all there is to you. Treasure."

Will tried to placate the situation. "Come now. If treasure was all Jack wanted we would not have stopped to pick her up. Many other pirates would not have even attempted to save her."

Remembering the state in which the girl had been in when Elisabeth had undressed her, anger flashed into her eyes. "She's just a girl, a child. She will not slow your journey." Elisabeth lifted her chin in defiance and Jack's heart sank at the unconscious gesture. It usually meant that she had made her mind up and was not going to change it. 

Will knew this too, and he shot Jack a look of helplessness as he shrugged.

"She will stay on board as long as they are useful." Jack said firmly.

"She will stay on board until they are well enough to leave, and we find them a suitable port." Elisabeth had the final word, and stalked from the room. 

Will tried to smother the smile that had sprung to his lips. Knowing her place, Elisabeth would never contradict Jack in front of the crew. He knew that Elisabeth and Jack were friends, and would defend each other to within an inch of their lives, but privately, away from the prying eyes of the crew, they fought like cat and dog. 

"She's made up her mind." Will said wryly, getting up and putting the map back in the safe.

But Jack appeared not to hear as he crossed the room and took a bottle out of a cupboard.

"Jack?" Will asked cautiously. Since the mutiny Jack was careful how much he revealed to his crew.

Jack forced a smile and said tipsily. "Well, it appears we have a visitor!"

~~~~

Drowsily she awoke in a strange place. Again it was too dark to recognize objects, but that was where the similarity to last night ended. The warmth of the room infused into her, and the heavy mesh of sheets and blankets only served to bake her as she lay there. The scratches and bruises on her body had been tended to and she sunk into the soft mattress in tiredness. A soft knocking came from the door, and without waiting for an answer the door was quietly opened and a young woman entered. She softly crossed to the window and opened the curtains, letting the light stream through.   
"I'm glad to see you're awake" She said, and smiled. "My name is Elisabeth, Elisabeth Turner. Welcome to the Black Pearl."

The girl in the bed looked around her warily. She appeared to be in a bedroom of some kind. The walls were a dull shade of russet and the furniture a faded mahogany. She heard the sea wash  the side of the ship gently, and assumed that she was on some sort of a merchant vessel. The woman – Elisabeth – had crossed over to her and was feeling her forehead for signs of fever. Elisabeth looked nice enough, nothing was too sharp in her face and she had smiled gently, not nastily at all. She frowned. Something was not quite right about Elisabeth after all.

"You're wearing trousers." She said shocked.

Elisabeth smiled. "Yes. I consider myself to be a member of the crew here, and therefore wear suitable clothes."

Her eyes started to blur over, and she rubbed at them in a vain attempt to stop this. It didn't work, however, and she rested her now heavy head back against the pillows.

Elisabeth frowned at the sign, and asked worriedly. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Hmmm?" The girl responded disjointedly, forcing Elisabeth to become more worried, but she relaxed when she said. "I'm just a little tired and a little hungry." 

"I'll get you something light to eat. Unfortunately I am unable to return to help you so I will send someone else back with the food. Is that acceptable?"

A sudden look of panic spread across the girl's face. "No. No. I want you to come back."

Elisabeth bit her lip. It was time for her to cook the crew's meal. "What  if I told you that I would send someone I'd trust beyond reason?"

The fear was still on the girl's face, but she nodded warily. "Fine." She stated flatly.

"I promise I will come back and check on you later." Elisabeth said it as if she meant it, but the girl knew better to let her hopes up. "The food will be along in a moment." Elisabeth added as she left the room as quietly as she entered it.

~~~~

Elisabeth wrung her hands in desperation. "Please Will. She's really scared and I don't want to frighten her anymore."

The soup and bread was on a tray, placed on the desk in between the Turners. Maps were dotted about the place, and Jack was sat in a corner looking at the scene with a bemused look in his eye.

"Can't you go? Or send one of the crew?" Will asked, not looking up from his map.

"I have to cook, and the crew would scare her. You're the only other person on this ship with an accent matching hers."

Will turned to Jack. "I'm needed here."

"Nonsense. I can manage until you return." He said with a glint in his eye. 

Will's shoulders sunk. He didn't really want to play babysitter to a girl, especially when they were so close to understanding the map. "But…"

"I said I can manage, Savvy?" Jack smiled disarmingly at Will and Elisabeth.

Will knew when he had been outmanoeuvred. "Fine. But I'll be back."

He picked up the try and headed to the girl's room, trying not to look too bitter. He took a deep calming breath as he stood outside the room, and knocked on the door.

"Come in." A small voice hesitantly said.

He steamed into the room, but stopped as the girl shrieked and pulled the covers up to her chin. "You're a man!" She said accusingly. "Elisabeth said she would send someone nice."

He frowned, which only served to panic the girl even more. "Elisabeth is my wife. I'm William, you can call me Will. I'll put the soup down on the table beside the bed, and I'll leave you alone, if you wish."

"Couldn't she send a woman?" The girl asked carefully.

Will hesitated. Currently Elisabeth was the only woman on board the ship, but he didn't want to worry the girl even more. "They're all busy." He answered at last.

She narrowed her eyes at him, as he headed towards the bedside table, and shuffled away from him, but true to his word, he placed the tray down and retreated to a safe distance.   
"Would you like me to leave you now?" He asked carefully.

She looked at him suspiciously. "You're Elisabeth's husband?" She asked.   
"Yes. Why would I lie to you?" 

She sniffed. "You can stay." She reached for the bowl of soup and started to devour it mercilessly. 

Will reached for a chair, dragged it towards him and sat down so he was facing her. She looked at him curiously in-between mouthfuls. He wasn't a man she would have picked to marry. No she would have picked something completely different. But looking closer into his eyes she now saw the kindness in them that her fear had made her blind to when he had first walked in the room. The strange thing about him was that he was wearing something very similar to Elisabeth, rather than a costume designed specifically for a gentleman. She decided to store that piece of information away, and ask later, when she knew them better.

When she nodded imperceptibly, he realised that she had finished her study of him, and had found him to be satisfactory. He decided to ask some questions. "I don't mean to be rude but, what is your name?"

She paused, and appeared to be thinking. Finally she answered. "Mary."

He grinned. "Okay _Mary._ We'll call you that for now, but as soon as you trust us I would appreciate you telling us your real name, and what you were doing out in the ocean, deal?"

The dull red rising up her neck and into her cheeks was enough for Will to know that he had hit the target. "Are you finished with your soup?" He asked carefully, and when she nodded he retrieved the bowl.

"There are an assortment of clothes and books in the wardrobe. Help yourself. However, I wouldn't go further than this room for the moment. You've had quite an experience..." Her panicked look made him wonder exactly what she had experienced, but he decided to leave that for now. "… in the water. Myself and Elisabeth will come and check on you every so often, so if you require something then ask us then, alright?" 

She nodded slowly, embarrassed at her reactions to such simple words. He had no idea, no clue as to what she had gone through. "Thank you." She managed, and shuffled back down under the blankets.


End file.
